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Paris, October 5
Top seed Novak Djokovic passed his first real test at this year’s French Open with flying colors as he defeated Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-4 6-3 6-3 on Monday to reach the quarterfinals for the 14th time.
The 33-year-old claimed a fourth straight set victory in his latest quest for a second French Open title, but it wasn’t as straightforward as the score suggests.
Djokovic faced stiff resistance before taking the first set and had a moment of anxiety when his attempt to return a serve from Khachanov bounced off his frame and hit a linesman on the head, reliving memories of his debacle in the US Open.
Khachanov saved four set points at 2-5 in the second set before Djokovic went two sets ahead.
Djokovic appeared to be in cruise control when he led 2-0 in the third, but Khachanov took the next three games and had two break points for a 4-2 lead.
However, the Serbian stood his ground and regained control to advance to the quarterfinals of Grand Slam 47, where he will face German qualifier Daniel Altmaier or 17th seed Pablo Carreño Busta, the man Djokovic faced in the fourth. round of the US Open when he was suspended for hitting. a linesman with a ball. Reuters
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